Promoting Change: Professional Development to Support Pedagogic Change in Sessional Teaching Staff. (20th July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Banks, Jennifer
• Is Part Of: Procedia--social and behavioral sciences. Volume 228(2016)
• Page Start: 112
• Page End: 117
• Publication Date: 2016-07-20
• Subjects: professionalism -- development -- pedagogy -- change -- sessional staff.; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Congresses; Arts -- Periodicals; Arts -- Congresses; Humanities -- Periodicals; Humanities -- Congresses; 300
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.07.017
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-0428

Abstract

Abstract: The use of sessional academic staff, contracted semester by semester, has become a characteristic of the Higher Education landscape across the world, and it can be argued that this type of employment, in itself, disadvantages staff in taking up formal and informal professional development. Academic staff employed on a sessional basis often have extensive experience in teaching and bring with them practices and approaches they believe are 'tried and true', and, depending on their career stage, their enthusiasm and willingness to interrogate their own practice and adopt changes to their pedagogy may be low. When UTS:Insearch sought to introduce a new pedagogic approach to deliver content to students it was discovered that, in addition to developing changes aimed at students, implementation of a new professional development model that addressed the issues surrounding the sessional nature of our academic staff's employment, their career stage, and their beliefs and values of teaching was required. This model is teacher centred and directed, uses student progress as evidence of efficacy of new approaches and actively supports and encourages involvement in professional development activities. While the program is still in its infancy, early indicators are that the approach is, albeit slowly, achieving its aims.